Daniel Bausch is vice Dean and Responsible for Advanced Studies and Services, Teacher of Theatre Improvisation. After graduating from the Accademia Teatro Dimitri, passed the acting exam at the institute Zentralstelle für Bühnen- und Fernsehberufe in Germany. Also completed training for teaching the Feldenkrais method. Worked as an actor in several theatres throughout Europe: toured the world for 5 years with the touring company Ton und Kirschen Wandertheater, worked in Berlin with the Berliner Ensemble and the Deutsche Oper, especially with the director Achim Freyer. Starred at the Teatro Stabile of Brescia under the direction of the Italian director Cesare Lievi. Also staged numerous productions of music theatre in collaboration with the Scuola universitaria di musica in Lugano. Vice Dean of the Accademia since 2012.

Tobias Biancone was born in Bern, Switzerland, and is of Swiss and Italian heritage. A poet and write, he studied German and French literature and language as well as arts history at the University of Bern. His works have been published in German, English, Bangla and Russian. After his studies he was the editor of books with contemporary art and literature and organized culture festivals with celebrated theatre poetry, prose, music and cinema. He is the Director General of ITI and President of the ITI/UNESCO Network for Higher Education in the Performing Arts. To acknowledge his work for the performing arts, the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing gave him the title „Honorary Professor“.

Miřenka Čechová is currently one of the most distinctive representatives of dance and physical theatre in the Czech Republic and abroad. After she graduated from the Dance Conservatory in Prague in classical ballet, she graduated from DAMU (alternative theatre) and HAMU (non-verbal theatre), where she received a PhD in directing physical and mimic theatre. She received the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship for research and teaching activities at American University in Washington, DC. She has performed in more than 18 productions and many of them, mostly original authorial performances, have received significant foreign awards, including S/He is Nancy Joe (The Best of Contemporary Dance 2012 by the Washington Post, Herald Angel Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival), The Voice of Anne Frank (Best of Overseas Productions at International Arts Festival in South Africa, Outstanding Performance Award at the Prague Fringe Festival, Best of Fringe at Amsterdam Fringe Festival), Antiwords (Theatre Newspaper Award, Next Wave Festival Award, Skupa’s Plzeň Award), and many others. As a director and choreographer, she has created more than ten productions often made in foreign co-productions, such as Prawns á la Indigo (supported by a residency at Schloss Bröllin in Germany), FAiTH (supported by a residency at Atlas Performing Art Center in Washington, DC), The Opening (produced by New Music Theater in Washington, DC), and, most recently Lessons of Touch together with Jiří Bartovanec, Vivisectic (at Center for Performance Research in Brooklyn and Gibney Dance, New York). At the request of the American baroque orchestra Opera Lafayette, she recently directed the opera production Opera and the French Revolution, which has been staged at the Rose Theatre Lincoln Center (New York) and the Lisner Auditorium (Washington, DC). She is the co-founder of theatre companies Spitfire Company and Tantehorse and the international festival Zero Point.

Ann Mari Engel completed her Ph.D. at Stockholm University 1982 in Department of Theatre. She is former director of Svensk Teaterunion – the Swedish Centre of the ITI, a member organisation of all Swedish theatres and theatre associations, honorary member and former vice-president of International Theatre Institute and founder and contact person if of the ITI Action Committee for Artist’s Rights. In 1993 – 2015 she was the main producer of the festival Swedish Theatre Biennial. Ann Mari is member of the Stockholm City Council and of the Stockholm Cultural Committee.

Derek Goldman is Professor of Theater and Performance Studies at Georgetown University and Founding Director of the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics. He is an award-winning stage director, playwright, adapter, producer, developer of new work, educator, and published scholar, whose artistic work has been seen Off-Broadway, internationally, and at numerous leading theaters. Recently his work in global performance has taken to him to Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Italy, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, the UK, among many other sites. He is Vice-President of the International Theatre Institute; co-Director of the Network for Higher Education in the Performing Arts; and a Board Member of Theatre Communications Group. He holds a Ph. D. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University, and is a recipient of Georgetown’s prestigious President’s Award for Distinguished Scholar-Teachers.

Vendula Kodetová graduated from theatre studies at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University and theatre anthropology at the Theatre Faculty, Academy of Performing Arts. She has been engaged in social specific theatre, primarily with the experimental Bohnice Theatre Company, the group of patients-actors with psychiatric diagnoses and theatre professionals. She also does PR & Communications for non-governmental organizations (Diaconia ECCB, Child Helpline, Centrum Paraple etc.) as well as the Research, Development & Innovation Council, Office of the Government, Czech Republic. She has co-authored the book Základní pojmy divadla. Teatrologický slovník/Basic Theatre Terms. Dictionary of Theatre Studies (P. Pavlovský a kol., National Theatre, Libri 2004) and Esther. Anonym, Frýd, Zelenka: 1944 (Czech Theatre – interactive reconstruction of productions, Augias 2012).

Ali Mahdi Nouri is a Sudanese actor and stage director who has demonstrated that theatre, music and drama have an invaluable role to play in promoting dialogue and supporting peacekeeping processes. In 2000, Mr Nouri founded the Bugaa Theatre Group in Khartoum, internationally recognized today as the most convincing practical example of the instrumentalization of theatre for development and peace-building. Through the creation of his centre for Theatre in Conflict Zones, he succeeded in capturing the interest of morally and psychologically damaged young audiences, former child soldiers, victims and aggressors, and orphans bringing them to accept reconciliation and peace and, thus, aiding their successful reintegration into society. Mr Nouri also is engaged in significant voluntary and humanitarian work, notably with SOS Children’s Village Sudan. He presented a paper at the United Nations General Assembly meeting on Child Rights, and was part of the delegation when the Sudanese Government signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in 1990.

Honza Malík is dancer, teacher, casual choreographer, initiator, producer and manager of contemporary dance projects. In 1999, when he became a freelancer, he graduated from the Duncan Centre Conservatory – the only school for contemporary dance in the Czech Republic. As a dancer, he has work experience in the State Opera Prague, Laroque Dance Comp. and with Forman brothers. He co-founded NANOHACH company (2004 – 2016), in which he was the artistic director, dancer, producer and manager. He has initiated and developed activities in contemporary dance and has worked with many companies and colleagues: Jarmila Jeřábková Award/New Europe festival (choreography competition), the series of discussions on contemporary dance art LET’S TALK ABOUT DANCE, or Prague Pride festival. He is the head of PULSARr dedicated to creative and education activities of choreographer Michal Záhora and he is also the dramaturg of NU Dance Festival in Bratislava. He teachers at the Duncan Centre Conservatory. Apart from all the above-listed activities, he has been engaged in Czech folklore since his childhood.

Hamadou Mande is professor of Dramatic Arts and Cultural Policies at the University Joseph Ki-Zerbo in Burkina Faso. He also ensures various artistic and associative functions including those of Pedagogical Director of the Superior School of Theatre Jean-Pierre Guingané, President and Artistic Director of the International Theater and Puppet Festival of Ouagadougou (FITMO) and Vice President for Africa of the International Theatre Institute (ITI).

Lucie Němečková is a theatre dramaturg, journalist, translator, and the promoter of francophone theatre in the Czech Republic. She is also the founder and director of festivals Creative Africa and Nad Prahou půlměsíc/A Crescent Above Prague focused on the support of culture encounters, getting to know each other, new sensitivity and humanity, inspiration, tolerance, and open-mindedness, which rank among the essential issues of the contemporary world full of ignorance, prejudices, clichés, hatred, and fear of the different and unknown. She has worked for F. X. Šalda Theatre in Liberec, Klicpera Theatre in Hradec Králové, Vinohrady Theatre, and Goose on the String Theatre. She is currently the dramaturg of the National Theatre Brno Drama and Theatre World Brno festival. She has been associated with the international book fair Svět knihy and the international festival Theatre of European Regions in Hradec Králové. She writes for Theatre Newspaper, Dance Zone and Slovo, the magazine for and about foreigners.

Fabio Tolledi is a theatre director, playwright and artistic director of Astràgali Teatro (Italy). He is President of the Italian Centre of the International Theatre Institute, President of ITI for Europe and Vice-President of the Committee for Theatre and Conflict of ITI. He is member of ITI Executive Council. He teaches history of theatre at the University of Salento and has collaborated with University of Athens and Charles University of Prague. In the last years, he has been project director of many international projects, realizing artistic collaborations with international theatres, institutions, universities, artists. His performances have been played all over Europe and other countries. Tolledi’s work has been focusing on the direction of intercultural theatrical workshops and performances with team of actors and actresses of different nationalities, and realizing joint multilingual and site-specific performances. He staged performances and gave lectures, conferences, workshops in many countries, among which Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Romania, Albania, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Tunisia, China, Brazil.

Vidyanidhee Vanarase, (Prasad), completed his post graduation from the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi. In the last twenty five years, he has designed and directed more than 50 plays in Marathi, Hindi, Konkani, Kannada, English and Gibberish. He has gained proficiency in Design and Direction, Administration and Management of arts and Applied Arts. He is associated with theatre organizations of international repute including London International Festival of Theatre (2003-2008), Project Phakama, South Africa, UK and India (2002-till date), and Colombo International Theatre Festival (2012-till date) to name a few. He has been involved in theatre training for more than 25 years. He is a Founder Director of International Association for Performing Arts and Research (IAPAR). IAPAR in the only Indian Member Institution of ITI/UNESCO-UNITWIN Network for Higher Education in Performing Arts. He is a Board Member of iSTAN, an international network for stage arts. He is the Secretary of the Indian Centre of International Theatre Institute – UNESCO. He is a member of Executive Council of International Institute – UNESCO. He works as the Festival Director of IAPAR International Theatre Festival, Pune, India.